Not because of those amazing whiteouts in the stands for Jets post-season games. No, there will be no playoffs for Winnipeg’s NHL franchise this season. Not without a miracle. And GM Kevin Cheveldayoff probably isn’t counting on one of those.

As a result, if no extension can be reached with pending unrestricted free agent Andrew Ladd, the Jets captain likely will be the most prominent candidate around the league to be moved.

Here are five others to watch:

Loui Eriksson, F, Bruins: Same situation as Ladd. If his demands are too rich for the B’s, he might be changing addresses.

Eric Staal, F, Hurricanes: The overachieving Canes still have a shot to reach the post-season, but can they risk the possibility of their captain walking away as a UFA this summer without getting anything in return?

Mikkel Boedker, F, Coyotes: He stands to make a nice raise next season, and we’re not sure the Coyotes are willing to give him one.

Dan Hamhuis, F, Canucks: Holds a no-trade clause. Would he be willing to waive it to go to the right place?

Keith Yandle, D, Rangers: He would better serve the Rangers by staying put for what the team hopes to be a deep playoff run, but if you could get goals back in return, well ...

Maybe these aren’t the type of names who will be found on any end-of-season all-star teams but, with so many clubs scrunched tightly together in the race for playoff berths, those teams who opt to sell likely will get nice returns for them.

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: Despite being squeezed against the salary cap ceiling, Hawks GM Stan Bowman is looking to find a way to add blueline depth and a scoring winger. If anyone can pull it off, Stan can.

TRADE WINDS: The name of the Oilers’ Teddy Purcell has been linked to the Blackhawks in various reports, a fit that would make sense for Chicago. Interestingly, here’s a concept that has been bandied about: What about a return to the Windy City for Jets pending UFA Andrew Ladd, who won a Cup with the Hawks back in 2010? It would take some nifty cap management on the part of Bowman and his number crunchers, but it would be a nice step towards a repeat if it could be done.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: With the Avs having rebounded from a mediocre 2015-16 season, expect GM Joe Sakic to be a buyer, especially since the collapse of the Wild has made a wildcard spot much more realistic.

TRADE WINDS: Sakic said a couple of days ago “a puck-management forward and a solid D-man” would be on his wish list. Having said that, Sakic was sure to stress one important point — there will be no giving up the farm to win now. “We’re not going to move first- and second-round picks for rental players,” Sakic stressed. If depth players can be acquired for lower-round picks or prospects, the Avs could be in play.

DALLAS STARS

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: GM Jim Nill, one of the shrewdest hombres in the biz — remember, this is the guy that swung deals to bring in Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza in consecutive off-seasons to bolster the Stars up the middle — is going for the Cup this season. And rightly so.

TRADE WINDS: Nill would love to snap up a top-four defenceman, but who exactly is available out there to fit the bill? With Dion Phaneuf going to the Ottawa Senators and Dustin Byfuglien re-upping with the Winnipeg Jets, pickings might be slim. Toronto’s Roman Polak, the Rangers’ Keith Yandle, Vancouver’s Dam Hamhuis and Calgary’s Kris Russell might all be candidates once deadline day comes, yet it remains to be seen if any of those names — other than that of Polak — will be on the move.

MINNESOTA WILD

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: GM Chuck Fletcher shook things up with his underachieving lot by firing coach Mike Yeo, but the diagnosis of Minnesota’s woes remains the same: not enough offence. As such, scoring remains a priority.

TRADE WINDS: Fletcher’s efforts to bring in goals over the years resulted in the acquisition of veterans like Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. Both players have been “wildly” inconsistent, if you’ll excuse the pun. Centre is the preferred position of need. Question is, would Fletcher tinker with the depth he has on the blueline in order to bring in a rental forward? Thus far, it hasn’t happened.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: GM David Poile made a big splash early last month when he brought in the big centre he coveted in Ryan Johansen, who came over from Columbus in exchange for defenceman Seth Jones. Is another scorer on his most-wanted list?

TRADE WINDS: Given that the two teams already have been trade partners in this calendar year, the Jackets’ Scott Hartnell might be a nice fit in Music City. Just imagine the havoc he could ignite in the opposition crease while Shea Weber unleashes his patented missiles from the point. With Pekka Rinne often not looking like Pekka Rinne these days, a backup goaltender could be in play as well.

ST. LOUIS BLUES

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: Given that gifted goal scorer Jaden Schwartz recently returned after being injured since October, GM Doug Armstrong must feel as if he just acquired a lethal sniper in a trade. As a result, there is not as much pressure on him to make that blockbuster deal at the deadline, although he’ll certainly be kicking tires.

TRADE WINDS: There has been some interest on the part of the Blues in disgruntled Lightning youngster Jonathan Drouin, who took his equipment and went home after playing a couple of games for the Lightning’s farm team, an obvious negative reaction to being demoted. Armstrong might tinker, but getting Schwartz back certainly changes the landscape in St. Louis.

PACIFIC DIVISION

ANAHEIM DUCKS

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: While the Ducks have clawed their way back into the playoff race after a truly horrible start, their inconsistent offence underscores their need as buyers to add goals.

TRADE WINDS: The Ducks are loaded with talent on the back end, so they might be able to deal from their position of strength on the blueline to help land some offensive punch. Remember, this is a team that has received just six goals all season from captain Ryan Getzlaf. Would GM Bob Murray be willing to move goalie Freddie Andersen now that young John Gibson has taken over the starting job?

ARIZONA COYOTES

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: The frugal-minded Coyotes once again are in sell-off mode, with pending free agent Mikkel Boedker being the key piece to Arizona’s trade deadline puzzle.

TRADE WINDS: The Coyotes might still have an outside shot at the playoffs but GM Don Maloney isn’t about to sacrifice his young building blocks or draft picks for rental players. Maloney did a great job a year ago landing young speedster Anthony Duclair in the Keith Yandle deal with the Rangers, then sending soon-to-be UFA Antoine Vermette to Chicago for defenceman Klas Dahlbeck and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft. The Vermette move was genius, since he ended up re-signing with Arizona in the summer. If Boedker doesn’t re-sign by Feb. 29, he’ll fetch a lucrative return for Maloney.

CALGARY FLAMES

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: GM Brad Treliving has made it clear: there will be no stockpiling of rental players for his underachieving team.

TRADE WINDS: The Flames have a couple of intriguing unrestricted UFAs in defenceman Kris Russell and forward Jiri Hudler. Russell, who had the most blocked shots in the league last season, could be an interesting addition for contenders like the Capitals, Kings or Penguins. Hudler, meanwhile, symbolizes the disappointing performance of the Flames this season, nowhere near resembling the electrifying scorer who collected 31 goals a year ago. According to Treliving: “If we can help ourselves in the future — with picks, prospects or people we think can fill holes moving forward — we have a great deal of interest in that.”

EDMONTON OILERS

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: Everyone knows a top-paring defenceman is at the top of GM Peter Chiarelli’s wish list but, as we mentioned regarding the Dallas Stars, those commodities are few and far between. As such, Chiarelli will be a seller — unless someone presents him with a blockbuster.

TRADE WINDS: The names of forward Teddy Purcell and defenceman Nikita Nikitin, who is being showcased after a stint in the AHL, have been bandied about in discussions. As per esteemed Postmedia colleague Bruce Garrioch, the Oilers also are shopping forward Lauri Korpikoski ($2.5 million in 2016-17) along with pending restricted free agent defenceman Justin Schultz.

TRADE WINDS: Having retooled for yet another Stanley Cup run, the wheeling and dealing of the Kings GM already netted power forward Milan Lucic from the Bruins last summer, then subsequently padded the team’s depth with the acquisitions of forward Vinny Lecavalier and defenceman Luke Schenn from the Flyers during a mid-season swap. Kings ideally would like to add a top-four defenceman and surely were interested in Dustin Byfuglien until he re-signed with Winnipeg.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: Buying blueline depth would seem to be the obvious goal, although there is also the Patrick Marleau situation to consider.

TRADE WINDS: Ever since news broke last fall that Marleau had requested a trade to either the Kings, Ducks or Rangers, his agent Pat Brisson has looked into the situation to see if there is a deal there to be made. To this point, nothing. Meanwhile, the Sharks would like to accrue more talent for a playoff push but won’t mortgage the future to do it. GM Doug Wilson, in a perfect world, would like to bring in some blueline help to shore up his defence.

WINNIPEG JETS

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: With his team arguably the most disappointing in the NHL this season, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff could be a busy man in the days and hours leading to the deadline.

TRADE WINDS: Once Cheveldayoff signed Dustin Byfuglien to a long-term extension, Ladd’s situation as a pending UFA became precarious at best. According to league executives, the return the Jets get for Ladd — should they decide to trade him — will dictate the market for other potentially available forwards such as Boston’s Loui Eriksson. Over to you, Kevin.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

LET’S MAKE A DEAL?: Canucks GM Jim Benning recently said the two weeks leading up to the trade deadline would help determine if his team would be buyers or sellers. With a 2-7-1 record in the past 10 games, it appears the latter path would be the most logical to follow.

TRADE WINDS: The name of Dan Hamhuis has come up as part of a sell-off, but keep in mind that he has a full no-movement clause. Forward Radim Vrbata might bring back a nice return in a year in which the cache of available forwards is thin. As for the notion that ownership’s quest for a playoff berth could be an obstacle in a potential deal, team president Trevor Linden recently told reporters that there is “no way ownership will get in the way of a trade at the deadline if management decides to sell.”

Who's up for grabs? — NHL trade deadline rundown (Western Conference)

Not because of those amazing whiteouts in the stands for Jets post-season games. No, there will be no playoffs for Winnipeg’s NHL franchise this season. Not without a miracle. And GM Kevin Cheveldayoff probably isn’t counting on one of those.

As a result, if no extension can be reached with pending unrestricted free agent Andrew Ladd, the Jets captain likely will be the most prominent candidate around the league to be moved.

Here are five others to watch:

Loui Eriksson, F, Bruins: Same situation as Ladd. If his demands are too rich for the B’s, he might be changing addresses.

Eric Staal, F, Hurricanes: The overachieving Canes still have a shot to reach the post-season, but can they risk the possibility of their captain walking away as a UFA this summer without getting anything in return?

Mikkel Boedker, F, Coyotes: He stands to make a nice raise next season